Space comfort control detector

Abstract

A system for light commercial building solutions (LCBS). Solutions and other systems may incorporate lightweight alerting service, auto-adjustment of gateway poll rates based on the needs of various consuming applications, detecting loss of space comfort control in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, HVAC capacity loss alerting using relative degree days and accumulated stage run time with operational equivalency checks, and HVAC alerting for loss of heat or cool capacity using delta temperature and dependent system properties. Also, incorporated may be triggering s subset of analytics by automatically inferring HVAC equipment details from controller configuration details, ensuring reliability of analytics by retaining logical continuity of HVAC equipment operational data even when controllers and other parts of the system are replaced, and an LCBS gateway with workflow and mechanisms to associate to a contractor account.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A space comfort control detector for a heating or cooling system, comprising:
 a heating or cooling system for a space having an alert device; 
 a set point device connected to the heating or cooling system that allows changing a set point; 
 a temperature sensor situated in the space configured to sense a temperature in the space; and 
 a controller connected to the heating or cooling system, the set point device, and the temperature sensor; and 
 wherein: 
 the controller is configured to:
 identify the set point for the heating or cooling system using the set point device; 
 obtain the temperature of the space using the temperature sensor; 
 identify a proportional error by determining a difference between the set point and the temperature of the space; 
 determine that an absolute value of the proportional error is greater than a proportional error threshold; 
 identify the heating or cooling system is not in a recovery state in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is greater than the proportional error threshold, wherein identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state is done by determining that a time since the set point device has been used to change the set point is greater than a recovery time threshold; 
 determine a rate of change of the absolute value of the proportional error in response to identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state; 
 determine the rate of change is less than a proportional error rate of change threshold in response to determining the rate of change; 
 determine whether the absolute value of the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within a time limit in response to determining that the rate of change is less than the proportional error rate of change threshold; and 
 trigger an alert of the alert device that the heating or cooling system is not capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The detector of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the absolute value of the proportional error is less than the proportional error threshold. 
     
     
       3. The detector of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the heating or cooling system is capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is less than the proportional error threshold. 
     
     
       4. The detector of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify the heating or cooling system is in a recovery state in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is greater than the proportional error threshold, wherein identifying that the heating or cooling system is in the recovery state is done by determining that the time since the set point device has been used to change the set point is less than the recovery time threshold. 
     
     
       5. The detector of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine the rate of change is greater than the proportional error rate of change threshold in response to determining the rate of change; and 
 determine the absolute value of the proportional error will be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit in response to determining that the instantaneous rate of change is greater than the proportional error rate of change threshold. 
 
     
     
       6. The detector of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the heating or cooling system is capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error will be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit. 
     
     
       7. A computer-implemented method for detecting a loss of space comfort control, comprising:
 identifying a set point for a heating or cooling system using a set point device; 
 obtaining a temperature of a space using a temperature sensor; 
 identifying a proportional error by determining a difference between the set point and the temperature of the space; 
 determining that an absolute value of the proportional error is greater than a proportional error threshold; 
 identifying the heating or cooling system is not in a recovery state in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is greater than the proportional error threshold, wherein identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state is done by determining that a time since a set point device has been used to change the set point is greater than a recovery time threshold; 
 determining a rate of change of the absolute value of the proportional error in response to identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state; 
 determining the rate of change is less than a proportional error rate of change threshold in response to determining the rate of change; 
 determining whether the absolute value of the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within a time limit in response to determining that the rate of change is less than the proportional error rate of change threshold; and 
 triggering an alert of an alert device that the heating or cooling system is not capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the computer is a thermostat. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the computer is a local server that supervises a building where the space and the heating or cooling system are located. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein a noise on the proportional error is filtered out. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the heating or cooling system incorporates a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 
     
     
       12. A mechanism for monitoring comfort control in a space, comprising:
 a heating or cooling system having one or more heating or cooling vents and an alert device, respectively, connected to a space; and 
 a thermostat connected to the heating or cooling system; and 
 wherein: 
 the thermostat comprises:
 a processor connected to the heating or cooling system; 
 a temperature sensor for sensing space temperature connected to the processor; and 
 a set point display, for indicating set point temperature, connected to the processor; and 
 
 wherein, the processor is configured to:
 identify the set point for the heating or cooling system using the set point device; 
 obtain a temperature of the space from the temperature sensor; 
 identify a proportional error by determining a difference between the set point and the temperature of the space; 
 determine that an absolute value of the proportional error is greater than a proportional error threshold; 
 identify the heating or cooling system is not in a recovery state in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is greater than the proportional error threshold, wherein identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state is done by determining that a time since the device has been used to change the set point temperature is greater than a recovery time threshold; 
 determine a rate of change of the absolute value of the proportional error in response to identifying that the heating or cooling system is not in the recovery state; 
 determine the rate of change is less than a proportional error rate of change threshold in response to determining the rate of change; 
 determine whether the absolute value of the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within a time limit in response to determining that the rate of change is less than the proportional error rate of change threshold; and 
 trigger an alert of the alert device that the heating or cooling system is not capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the proportional error will not be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The mechanism of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the absolute value of the proportional error is less than the proportional error threshold. 
     
     
       14. The mechanism of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the heating or cooling system is capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is less than the proportional error threshold. 
     
     
       15. The mechanism of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify the heating or cooling system is in a recovery state in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error is greater than the proportional error threshold, wherein identifying that the heating or cooling system is in the recovery state is done by determining that the time since the set point device has been used to change the set point is less than the recovery time threshold. 
     
     
       16. The mechanism of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the rate of change is greater than the proportional error rate of change threshold in response to determining the rate of change. 
     
     
       17. The mechanism of  claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the absolute value of the proportional error will be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit in response to determining that the instantaneous rate of change is greater than the proportional error rate of change threshold. 
     
     
       18. The mechanism of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the heating or cooling system is capable of maintaining the absolute value of the proportional error below the proportional error threshold in response to determining that the absolute value of the proportional error will be less than the proportional error threshold within the time limit. 
     
     
       19. The mechanism of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to filter noise to improve accuracy of determining the rate of change of the absolute value of the proportional error.